I want to start from the beginning. I had been dreaming of writing for a good decade. The burning desire seemed unquenchable and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't squelch it. In all honesty it made no sense. I had no time, no resources. There were so many other things that seemed more important.
Because I couldn't silence it, I brought it before God and asked Him to speak to it.
I asked Him to confirm, beyond the personal passion, that it was indeed time for me to write. "Just one last time," I prayed. "Speak to me one last time and I won't ever question again."
That same night I had a vivid Jesus dream. Now, I rarely have Jesus dreams. But in this one, God was standing next to me and He spoke. "When you wake up remember Jeremiah 1:9." He repeated that to me three times and then I woke up. I was speechless. With sleepy brain I couldn't even wrap my head around the significance of the dream. Being the middle of the night, I wrote the verse down on a small scrap piece of paper in my night stand and fell back asleep.
When my eyes opened in the dim morning light, the dream was on the forefront of my mind. I had my doubts about it's significance. I thought maybe God meant to tell me to remember Joshua 1:9 ... be strong and courageous. I at least knew that verse. I picked up my little scrap paper which read in small letters "Jeremiah 1:9."
Needless to say, I was hesitant to open the pages of my Bible because I had no idea what Jeremiah 1:9 said. As I opened the pages wearily, my eyes remained transfixed on the following verse.
"Then the LORD reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words."
- Jeremiah 1:9 CSV
A journey of obedience to God is marked with miracles that only He can do. And this is just the beginning.
When I get to the end of my life I want to look back and see that each year was better than the last. Because loving and knowing God doesn't diminish your life with age, it only makes life that much more satisfying.
I'm on vacation for a few weeks and I'm going to take some time to Just Be in God's presence. I'm going to be present with my family. Eat ice cream everyday. Wade in the ocean til my toes get wrinkly like raisons, and rub aloe on my children's tan little bodies.
I'm taking three weeks off blog writing from my book, specifically. Instead I'm going to do some personal posts about the journey God has me on right now. The testimonies found in obedience. The God-miracles that have marked my journey. I hope it encourages your heart.
"I hope maybe, just maybe, my story of obedience might light a fire in someone's life to take a leap of faith with God. To step out into the unknown and follow the nudging of the Holy Spirit. To be obedient regardless of the personal outcome."
Photo Credit: Tomáš Malík
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